


I'll Be Home for Christmas

by heyjupiter



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Caught in Bad Weather, Christmas, F/F, Harlequin Hoopla, Jewish Natasha Romanov, Marvel HEA, Only One Bed, Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Snowed In
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22659958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyjupiter/pseuds/heyjupiter
Summary: When a snowstorm grounds flights out of DC on Christmas Eve, Natasha manages to get the very last rental car. But when she hears a beautiful stranger pleading to get back to New York to spend Christmas with her daughter, Natasha offers her a ride. Unfortunately, conditions worsen and the pair decide to stop for the night. They're happy to get a hotel room, even if it only has one bed, and it turns out to be a very merry Christmas for all.
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 9
Kudos: 54
Collections: Ladies of Marvel Bingo 2019, MHEA Harlequin Hoopla Prompt Challenge 2020





	I'll Be Home for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> I originally started writing this for the Marvel HEA Holiday Challenge, but I ran out of time on that one. Luckily, it also works for the [Marvel HEA Harlequin Hoopla Challenge](https://heamarvel.tumblr.com/harlequin): Romance Day 9, Only One Bed, as well as Romance Day 10, Caught in Bad Weather.
> 
> I'm also counting it for the Natasha Romanov square on my [Ladies of Marvel Bingo card](https://twentyghosts.tumblr.com/ladiesbingo).

"It's your lucky day, Ms. Romanoff, you just got our very last car," said Ramon, the car rental clerk who'd been so genuinely helpful that Nat hadn't even had to offer a bribe. "Wait right here and I'll be right back with your keys."

Nat smiled. She didn't point out that it hadn't been _luck_ ; it had been intelligence. She'd checked the weather and understood that her scheduled flight to New York was not going to make it out of Dulles Airport; she'd left the gate and headed straight for the rental cars while the flight attendants were still hemming and hawing and refusing to announce that the flight was cancelled until they'd triple-checked with the pilots and the FAA and God or whoever. Not that she blamed them for their caution--the announcement that flights were canceled on Christmas Eve was sure to be met with furious passengers.

She could tell when the flight was canceled because a sudden flood of travelers had scurried into the lines for the various rental car agencies. But they were too late. Her smugness faded somewhat as the woman behind her in line stepped up to the counter's other employee. Nat recognized her; she'd been at the gate for the same flight to New York, and she'd noticed Nat leaving and silently followed her to the rental cars. She was beautiful, with creamy skin and strawberry-blonde hair pulled back into the most perfect ponytail Nat had ever seen. She seemed familiar; she might have been a model or actress. In her impractical heels, she stood almost a foot taller than Nat in her sneakers.

"You're _sure_ you don't have anything left?" the woman asked. "Anything at all? Seriously, not like a, a VW bus or pickup truck or whatever nobody else wants?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but if you don't already have a reservation, there's nothing I can do for you."

"What's your name? Julia? Julia, do you have kids?"

"I don't see as that's any of your business," Julia said stiffly. Nat offered a silent nod of agreement. She hated it when people assumed that all women had, or wanted, or cared about, kids.

"You're right. I'm sorry. That was inappropriate," the woman replied. "It's just...it's my daughter's first Christmas, and I'm _desperate_ to get back to her, and I just...I'm begging, is there anything you can do?" Nat kept eavesdropping. She respected both Julia for asserting herself and the mystery woman for acknowledging that she'd been in the wrong.

"If you don't have a reservation, then no, I'm afraid not. Could you please step aside so I can help the next customer?"

The woman stepped aside and started scrolling through her phone. Her eyes, which Nat couldn't help but notice were a lovely shade of blue, were welling up with tears. Despite her usual inclination to avoid such shows of emotion, Nat impulsively approached her and asked, "Excuse me, can I ask where you're going?"

The woman sniffed. "Oh, um, New York? But I guess I might not be going anywhere…"

"I--I'm going to New York, too. Do you want to ride with me? I apparently got the last rental car."

"I--are you sure?"

"Yeah," Nat said, though she wasn't. This was a very uncharacteristic move for her, but maybe it had been hard for her to watch a beautiful woman cry. Maybe the Christmas spirit inexplicably moved her nonpracticing Jewish heart. Maybe it was just that whatever this woman chipped in for gas would be more money she could spend on vodka when she got home to her empty apartment. 

The woman suddenly flung her arms around Nat in a tight hug. Nat was pressed against her chest, smelling her classy floral perfume. "Oh! You're an angel. I'll pay for your gas, I'll--I'm going to send you the best fruit basket. Do you like fruit?"

Nat smiled. "I like fruit. I'm Natasha, by the way. And I'm no angel."

"Natasha! I'm Pepper. Sorry if that hug was too aggressive, I'm just feeling...very emotional."

"It's your daughter's first Christmas," Natasha said diplomatically.

"You heard that. Yes. It's...it's just hard."

Behind them, Ramon cleared his throat. "Ms. Romanoff, here are your keys. Your car is in spot C-61. You...won't be able to miss it."

"Thank you."

"Drive safe and happy holidays!"

Pepper followed Nat out to the car, wheeling her elegant Louis Vuitton carry-on suitcase behind her through the mostly-empty lot. "Seriously, I really appreciate this."

"Hmm. Are you sure about that?" Nat asked, upon arriving at spot C-61 and finding the tiniest little two-door Smartcar.

"Oh! If you don't want to share such close quarters, I understand…" Pepper said, though her eyes threatened tears again.

"No, no, I just mean because you're so tall," Nat replied, unlocking the car and stashing her backpack in the tiny hatchback. 

Pepper said, "Oh! Well, it's only a five-hour drive, it'll be fine. All those yoga classes might just come in handy." She carefully placed her suitcase in the back, keeping her purse with her.

Nat swallowed at the thought of this goddess doing yoga. _Focus, Natasha. She's just trying to get home to her family, you don't need to objectify her._

Nat started the car and carefully navigated her way out of the garage and onto the highway. Conditions were already bad, though the highway had been pretty well salted and plowed. Still, Nat said, "This is probably going to take more than five hours."

"That's okay! I have snacks," Pepper said proudly. "Do you want a KIND bar?"

"No thanks."

"Well, the offer stands. Oh, I also have some dried cranberries."

Nat nodded, focused on the road. Snow was starting to accumulate again.

"Do you want me to turn on some music? Or do you want it quiet? I'm sorry if I'm talking too much."

"It's okay. You can talk. Music is fine, as long as it's not Christmas music."

"Oh, you don't like Christmas?"

"Christmas is okay, but I don't really celebrate it and I get burned out on the music around December third every year."

"Oh. That's fair." Pepper fiddled with the radio and put on a classical station. "It's funny, I always think I'll be happy to have some alone time away from Morgan, you know, a chance to not listen to the Sesame Street Christmas album on repeat, but then I just...miss her. Ugh, sorry."

"That's okay," Nat said, though she usually zoned out the second anyone started talking about their kids. "I'm sure you're excited for her first Christmas."

"Her first--oh." Pepper cast a guilty sideways glance at Nat. "I forgot you heard that. I should come clean...it's not actually her first Christmas, she's almost five. It's just, uh, her first Christmas since...since my divorce, so I just...I just really don't want to miss it. I just thought that clerk might be more sympathetic if I told a little white lie."

Nat laughed. "That's ruthless!"

Pepper sounded remorseful as she said, "I didn't think it would hurt anybody…"

"No, no, that was a compliment."

"Oh. Well, thank you," Pepper replied. "So what brings you to New York? Is that home for you?"

"Yeah."

"Were you traveling for work or visiting someone?

"Work."

"Me too. What do you do for work?"

"I'm a security consultant."

"That sounds interesting. Do you like it?"

Nat took a moment to consider. People didn't usually ask her if she liked her job; they just asked that she do it. "I suppose so. It beats the alternative."

"What's the alternative?"

"Jail," Nat said flatly.

Pepper laughed nervously.

"This ought to teach you to get into cars with strangers," Nat said, but she glanced at Pepper with a reassuring smile. "How about you?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you do to stay out of jail?"

"Oh. Uh, I'm the CEO of Stark Industries," Pepper said sheepishly.

"Oh! Oh, right, I thought you looked familiar." Nat pulled up her mental file on Stark Industries: cutting edge consumer technology, too big of a fish for Nat to have ever pitched her consultant services to. The company was owned by Tony Stark, the erratic genius who'd promoted his PA to CEO, married her, and, more recently, divorced her in what the media universally and blandly labeled a peaceful "conscious uncoupling." 

Pepper gave an elegant shrug. "Hazard of the job. So how'd you get into security consulting?"

"It's a long story."

"Well, we have a long car ride. Or--or sorry if I'm being nosy, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I'm just curious."

"That's fair enough," Nat said. "Shit!" She eased her foot off the gas as she hit a patch of ice. The car fishtailed slightly, but she was able to regain her course without hitting anyone or anything.

"Sorry, I should stop distracting the driver," Pepper said. "Thanks for driving in this mess."

"No problem. I'm used to snow. Just hit a rough patch is all," Nat said. She was trying to sound reassuring, though she knew it wasn't long before the sun went down and made their trek even more dangerous.

"Where are you from?"

"Russia," Nat heard herself say, despite her usual insistence that she was from New York. There was something about Pepper that made Nat want to tell her things.

"Oh!"

"Well, it was called the Soviet Union back then."

"Right. So when did you come to the US? If you don't mind me asking? Sorry, I'm asking a lot of questions."

"How about a question for a question? I came to the US when I was two. Where are you from?"

"Connecticut. Where in New York do you live now?"

"Brooklyn. What--" Nat broke off and swore in Russian as the car ahead of them spun out. "Sorry. I think you were right after all, I'd better focus on the road." She figured they only had maybe another hour of daylight, and she really was not looking forward to seeing what the road was like in the dark.

"This is ridiculous, we should just pull over and get a hotel."

"And miss your daughter's first Christmas?" Nat deadpanned.

"I told you, it--oh, you were kidding. But seriously. Better to miss Christmas than to miss everything. Pull off at the next exit, I'm booking a hotel," Pepper said, tapping at her phone. Her tone brooked no disagreements, but it still took forty minutes to painstakingly reach the next exit. Nat's hands were shaking by the time she followed Pepper's directions and pulled into the Marriott Courtyard. They'd barely made it to the outskirts of Baltimore. But, much as Nat hated to admit it, Pepper was right. The conditions were simply too hazardous to keep driving, especially when her passenger was somebody's mother. 

They grabbed their bags out of the tiny Smartcar and made their way into the hotel. Nat offered her arm to Pepper, who was still wearing those impractical stilettos. Pepper checked in for the room and blithely handed over a black card in exchange for two keys.

"You're lucky, that's the last room we had left," the clerk said.

"Last car, last room, must be our lucky day," Pepper said to Nat.

"If it had really been our lucky day, we would have been on earlier flights," Nat replied. But then Pepper laughed and the sweet sound made Nat reconsider. Maybe being here with Pepper was luckier than being home alone.

They brought their bags into the elevator, which was positively roomy in comparison to their Smartcar, and stumbled into a room with one king-sized bed. 

"I hope you don't mind sharing," Pepper said. "It was the only room left. As you know."

"Of course. I mean, this bed alone is at least three times bigger than the Smartcar."

Pepper laughed again, and Nat felt a warmth grow in her belly. It was probably just from getting in out of the cold. But Pepper slid out of her elegant peacoat and Nat had to force herself to stop staring. 

"I'm just going to step out into the hallway to make a quick call," Pepper said.

"Oh, no, you can have the room to yourself if you want a bit of privacy. I was going to head for the fitness center. I just need one sec to change." Nat wasn't particularly modest, but for Pepper's sake, she stepped into the bathroom with her backpack and emerged in cropped leggings and a sports bra. She slipped her headphones in and ignored Pepper's raised eyebrows. Nat was sure a woman like Pepper had a perfectly coordinated Lululemon workout wardrobe and upcycled her leggings well before the elastic got stretched out.

Nat pushed herself hard on the treadmill and the hotel's small collection of weight machines. She wanted to exhaust herself. She hoped that the storm would stop and the roads would be cleared for them to get an early start tomorrow morning. She hoped that her stupid crush on the gorgeous CEO she'd picked up would burn itself out quickly. Obviously nothing could ever come of it; a woman like Pepper needed to date someone who was as refined as herself, not a glorified hacker like Nat.

By the time Nat got back to their room, her post-workout endorphins had her feeling okay. But her mood dipped when she found the bathroom door shut. She sighed; of course Pepper was entitled to the room's bathroom, but Nat had really been looking forward to a shower. She didn't want to contaminate the bed with sweat, so she wiped off her face with a Kleenex and sat down at the room's desk. She pulled out her laptop and got to work. 

She was deep in her code when she finally heard the bathroom door swing open. She glanced up and saw Pepper in a plush white hotel robe. Pepper's face was scrubbed clean of makeup and her eyes looked red. 

Pepper sniffed. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to hog the bathroom, I just…" Tears started streaming from her eyes.

Nat gave a small smile. "No worries." She hesitated. When people cried around Nat, she usually ignored it. This was partly callous, but also partly Nat's way of following the Golden Rule. She ignored the emotional outbursts of others, because if she ever accidentally revealed any emotions, she would prefer that others ignore them. But again, something about Pepper made Nat want to break her own rule. She asked, "Everything okay?"

"Oh, yes, it's just--I just video chatted with Morgan and I _miss_ her," Pepper said, the tears coming harder. Nat stood up and brought the box of tissues over to her, and Pepper laughed and snorted. "Thanks, I, sorry, I'm such a mess, I just...I'm jetlagged, and exhausted, and I've been away from her for a week, and it's _Christmas Eve_ …"

Nat licked her lips. "Here. Why don't you just get in bed and take a nap. I'm going to take a shower and then I'm going to go see what I can do about getting us something to drink before everything closes for Christmas."

Pepper sniffed. "Okay. Thanks." She leaned in and gave Nat an impromptu hug, apparently forgetting that Nat was only wearing a thin, sweaty sports bra. Nat awkwardly patted Pepper's back and then disentangled herself. She took a brisk shower and dressed herself in the same clothes she'd worn for traveling; jeggings and a baggy sweater. She packed light and prioritized comfort in her attire, though a small part of her wished she had something a bit more flattering to put on. _Stupid_ , she thought. She was sharing a bed with a stressed-out parent, not someone she'd picked up at a bar. Pepper didn't care what Nat looked like, she just cared about if Nat could help her get home to her daughter.

When Nat emerged from the bathroom, Pepper was curled up and fast asleep on the far edge of the bed. Nat quietly pulled her sneakers back on and ventured out into the hotel lobby, where she successfully purchased two bottles of wine--one red, one white, because she wasn't sure what Pepper would prefer. Then she returned to their room, where she quietly stashed the white wine in the mini-fridge and got back to work on her latest assignment. She'd made some decent progress in checking the vulnerabilities of her client's server when Pepper yawned loudly.

Nat turned from the desk and saw Pepper sitting up and stretching. "Hey. Feeling any better?"

Pepper smiled. "Yeah. Thanks."

"I usually find that the world looks better after a nap."

"Good advice. I usually tell Morgan the same thing, but somehow I forget it for myself." Pepper did a couple of loose shoulder circles and then said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your work."

"That's alright. I was coming to a stopping point anyway." Nat saved her work and folded her laptop closed. "You want some wine?"

"God, yes," Pepper said. "I hate the 'wine mom' stereotype. But I was a wine CEO before I was a wine mom. Some people just like wine, right?"

"Right," Nat affirmed. She felt a tiny bit guilty for having immediately assumed Pepper would drink wine--the "wine mom" stereotype had definitely been in her head when she'd decided against bringing back a bottle of vodka. But Pepper didn't need to know that. She frowned at the bottle, which was nice enough to have an actual cork. "I forgot a corkscrew. You don't happen to have one, do you?"

Pepper climbed out of bed. "I know I just said I wasn't a wine mom, but I think I might, actually. If not, I'm sure room service would bring us one."

"I think they were going to shut down early for Christmas Eve, but it's worth a try."

Pepper dug through her purse with increasing panic while Nat called down to the front desk, only to be told that room service had ended at 9PM. Pepper concluded she must have left the corkscrew in a different bag, so Nat pulled out her phone and searched YouTube for "open wine bottle without corkscrew." She watched a few videos, then wrapped the bottle in a towel and hit it with her shoe.

Pepper laughed. "Really?"

"The video made it look easy!" Nat said. She kept methodically thwacking it. "Look, the cork's out a little bit." 

"Wow. Keep going!" 

Pepper cheered Nat on as she continued her ridiculous mission. Finally, she'd managed to work the cork loose enough to slowly pull the rest out with her fingers.

"My hero!" Pepper said. She handed Nat two plastic cups. Nat grinned and poured them full of red wine. She passed one to Pepper and held her own up in a toast.

"Merry Christmas Eve," she said.

Pepper tapped her glass against Nat's. "You're a lifesaver, in more ways than one."

Nat smiled. "What can I say, I'm a sucker for a damsel in distress."

"Hey, I may have been in some distress but I'm no damsel!"

"What does 'damsel' mean, anyway?" Nat pulled up her phone and googled it. "Hmm. 'A young unmarried woman.' You _are_ a damsel!" 

Pepper pursed her lips, and Nat hoped that she hadn't offended her by mentioning her divorce. But then she smiled. "I guess I am. I guess you are too. Er, you're unmarried, right?" 

"Completely unattached," Nat affirmed.

Pepper raised her plastic cup again. "Then another toast, to damsels!"

"To damsels," Nat echoed, and took another long sip of wine.

"You're really single?" Pepper asked. "Ugh, sorry, I just mean...you're gorgeous and you don't have a five-year-old. Seems like people would be lining up to date you."

"I'm...selective. And I travel a lot for work."

"Hmm," Pepper said. She took a long swig of wine. 

Nat stood up and looked out the window. It was dark, but she could see from the streetlights in the parking lot that it had stopped snowing. She cleared her throat and said, "It's stopped snowing. I'm sure the roads will be clear in the morning. We can leave early and have you home in time to open presents."

"I don't know about that, I'm sure Morgan will be up at about 4AM. I can video chat her. I...you don't have to get up early on my account."

Nat shrugged. "I don't mind. I get by more on coffee than on sleep."

"You sound like Tony," Pepper groaned.

"I will try not to take offense at being compared to your ex-husband."

"No, no, it's not an insult...really, truly, ours was an amicable divorce, it just...we just...is there more wine?"

"Absolutely." Nat came to sit next to Pepper on the bed and poured her more wine.

"Thanks." Pepper drank it and her cheeks picked up an adorable blush. "Oh god, we are not going to be able to get dinner anywhere, are we? I should probably not be drinking so much on an empty stomach."

"There's vending machines."

"And I still have all my purse snacks!" 

The two women sat up in their shared bed, drinking, eating snacks, and oversharing with each other. (Well, Pepper was oversharing. Nat was just sharing, but by her standards it felt like oversharing.) They found they had a lot in common; both women loved their jobs but hated to be underestimated for their looks. Even drunk, they both took pride in sharing their accomplishments and enjoyed complimenting each other.

"Natasha, I'm so glad you picked me up," Pepper said. She was slurring her words a little bit. Nat felt warm and loose, but not drunk; she suspected she held her alcohol much better than a jet lagged mom.

"Me too," Nat replied.

"Not just because otherwise I'd be stuck at a DC airport hotel right now. But you're so _pretty_ ," Pepper enthused. She bent her graceful swanlike neck down and it occurred to Natasha that Pepper was about to kiss her, and then Pepper kissed her.

Pepper was a very good kisser, and Nat took a few seconds to enjoy that fact before gently pulling away. "Thanks, Pepper, you're pretty too."

Pepper leaned in again, but Nat scooted away. Pepper pouted, "Then why don't you want to kiss me?"

"I definitely do," Nat said, and Pepper smiled and leaned in. Nat held up her hand and continued, "But you're _drunk_ and I don't want to...to take advantage of you."

"I'm not drunk," Pepper protested. "I just had some...bottles...of wine." She giggled, and Natasha laughed too.

"Pepper, if you still want to kiss me in the morning, I promise, I'm all yours. But why don't we just get some sleep so we can get back to New York?"

"You're no fun," Pepper mumbled.

"I know," Nat agreed. Filled with regret, she climbed out of bed and brushed her teeth. When she came back to the bed, Pepper was passed out again, which was probably for the best. Nat set an alarm for 5AM and fell asleep quickly.

When her alarm went off, she discovered that in the night, Pepper had curled herself around Natasha's smaller body. Nat carefully tried to extricate herself, and Pepper's blue eyes flew open. She groaned, "What time is it?"

"It's 5AM. C'mon, we can make it back to New York by breakfast."

"My _head_ ," Pepper wailed. Nat brought her a bottle of Advil and a glass of water, then started brewing coffee on the room's coffeepot. "You're so good to me, Natasha."

"Merry Christmas, Pepper."

"Oh god, it's Christmas. Merry Christmas!"

Nat took a quick shower, giving Pepper a little time to shake off her hangover. Pepper took a slightly longer shower, but packed up quickly. Neither of them said anything more about the past night's kiss, which was for the best, Nat decided. They checked out of the room and hit the road, which was thankfully salted, plowed, and completely devoid of other traffic. Nat turned the classical radio station back on, and Pepper fell asleep for much of their journey. It was a peaceful trip, though Nat missed the chatter Pepper had supplied the previous day.

As they approached the New York state line, Nat called out, "Pepper?"

Pepper stirred. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"I'm glad you got some more rest. I need directions, though, so I can drop you off."

"Mmph." Pepper rubbed her eyes and started giving Nat directions. All the streets were quiet; it was the easiest time Nat had ever had driving in the city. "Hey, what are your plans for the day?"

"Well, I need to get home and relieve my cat sitter. And then probably Chinese food and a movie, the usual."

"Why don't you come up with me?"

"Oh, no, I don't want to interrupt your family time."

"It wouldn't be interrupting. I...I hate to think of you alone on Christmas."

"I don't mind being alone," Nat said.

"Oh," Pepper said, and she sounded oddly disappointed at Nat's rejection of her obviously token offer.

Nat pulled in front of Stark Tower--in retrospect, she probably could have made her way there without directions, but she'd managed to briefly forget who her passenger was. She expected Pepper to leap out of the car and rush toward her daughter, but she lingered for a moment. 

"Nat?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you mean what you said last night?"

"Probably. Which thing do you mean?"

Pepper leaned in and said, "When you said you'd be happy to kiss me when I wasn't drunk?"

Nat was a little surprised Pepper remembered, but she swallowed and said, "Yeah."

Pepper grinned mischievously. She leaned in closer and kissed Nat, and before long, they were steaming up the windows of the rental car. Finally, they parted to catch their breath.

Nat said, "You should go open presents with your daughter."

Pepper said, "I know," but she made no move to leave the car. "You're sure you don't want to come up?"

Nat kind of did want to, but she didn't want Pepper to regret asking her. "I'm sure. But thank you."

"Well. Could I see you again?"

Nat smiled. "You could." She reached over and took Pepper's phone, entering herself as a contact. Then she kissed her on the cheek and said, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Natasha." Pepper somehow managed to make climbing out of the tiny Smartcar look graceful, and she blew Nat a kiss from the sidewalk. 

Nat returned the rental car and made her way back to Brooklyn, where she flopped on the couch and let her cat Liho rub against her cheek. She took an unintended nap, and when she woke up, she had a couple of text messages from a new number. There was a selfie of Pepper with her daughter, both wearing green bows on their heads and beaming at the camera. The message said, _Thanks again for getting me home safely to this one. What movie were you planning to see today? Can I invite myself? Morgan's going to crash by 8PM._

Another message stamped a few hours later added, _Sorry, that was rude. I'm sure you already have plans. Let me know next time you're free, I owe you dinner._

Nat replied, _Didn't mean to ignore your message, I ended up taking a nap with this one._ She took a selfie with Liho and sent it back.

Then she added, _I'd love your company for movie + Chinese food._

Pepper replied immediately, _Send me your address! I'll pick you up around 8. You can pick the movie, as long as it isn't Frozen. I can't take a single more "Let it Go."_

Nat smiled to herself as she sent, _Is Frozen 2 still on table? J/k. Enjoy your day with Morgan, I look forward to seeing you around 8._

She spent the rest of the day feeling the kind of Christmas excitement she'd never actually experienced as a child, though she'd seen it on TV. Time seemed to crawl as she busied herself with work and tending to Liho, who was doing her best impression of a cat who hadn't even noticed that Natasha was gone. She changed clothes into something slightly sexier than her travel outfit, though she didn't want to overdo it.

Finally, 8PM came around, and Pepper buzzed up to Nat's apartment right on time. Nat let her in, and Pepper stood in the doorway with her dazzling smile. She wore jeans and a cashmere sweater and she looked like she'd walked out of a high-end catalog. "Merry Christmas. I brought you something." She held out a small bag, and Nat opened it.

"Oh! A...small plant, thank you."

Pepper laughed. "It's mistletoe." She took it out of Nat's hand and held it up over her head. "Now you have to kiss me. It's tradition."

Nat dutifully kissed Pepper. "I see, this is a gift that keeps giving."

Pepper pulled another container out of her large purse. "I also brought you some cookies. Morgan decorated them, so they look kind of...unhinged, but they taste good, I swear."

"Aw, thank you." Nat opened the container and smiled at the smeary gingerbread men. "How was Morgan's first Christmas?"

Pepper laughed. "I'm never going to live that down, am I? It was very nice. Honestly, I think it was our best Christmas ever. I didn't miss any of it, and Tony and I didn't bicker about stupid stuff at all."

"I'm glad. And you're not missing anything now?"

"Nope. As expected, Miss Morgan is very asleep after coming down from her massive Santa and Sugar crash. So how was your day?"

"Hm. It was fine, but it's better now. Maybe shaping up to be my best Christmas ever," Nat said with a grin. It was a good line, and she didn't need to mention that she didn't have much else to compare it to.

Pepper grinned back. "So where am I taking you?"

"Well. We could go to the Alamo Drafthouse...or we could order Chinese takeout and watch something on Netflix?"

Pepper glanced around Nat's apartment, which Nat belatedly realized must be incredibly tiny compared to Pepper's home. In general, she wasn't embarrassed about where she lived--it suited her fine--but she probably should take Pepper Potts somewhere nicer. But Pepper grinned. She walked over and tied the mistletoe up on the window blinds behind the couch. Then she sat down directly beneath it. "I think this is a perfect place to be."

Nat grinned back and sat down next to Pepper on the couch. "I couldn't agree more." Pepper tucked her arm around Nat and they settled in for what turned out to definitely be Natasha's best ever Christmas.


End file.
